Dishonored 2

🎮 Steam ⏳ 30 hours ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Expanded Stealth Playground #

The second Dishonored entry is a stealth-action game that beautifully expands on the world of Dunwall. The game offers the choice to play as either the first game’s MC, Corvo Attano or Emily Kaldwin, each with unique powers that open different approaches to missions. The level design is excellent, encouraging creativity in both stealth and combat, and the art direction is striking, with a rich, atmospheric Victorian-inspired setting, nothing new on this regard, very similar to the first title. The story is engaging, though sometimes secondary to the gameplay, and the game excels in giving you multiple ways to tackle objectives, whether through ghostly stealth, brutal force, or clever use of powers.

Improved, Replayable Sequel #

While it occasionally suffers from minor AI quirks and bugs, the overall experience is highly rewarding for players who enjoy freedom of choice and replayability, expanding upon the features and mechanics of the first title greatly. There are very few reasons not to play this one if you enjoyed the first entry, it is objectively a better game with more content and more story. And while I prefer the simpler approach of the first title, this one introduced better replay value since you have two characters to play this time.

Design Pushed Further #

On a mechanical level, it feels tighter and more ambitious, with standout missions that push the series’ design philosophy to its limits. Levels like the Clockwork Mansion and A Crack in the Slab are not only technical showcases but also clever experiments in spatial and temporal design, constantly encouraging you to rethink how they move through the world. The addition of more vertical, larger spaces, and optional non-lethal tools further deepens the sandbox mechanics, making experimentation both rewarding and intuitive.

Player Agency Masterclass #

Combined with strong sound design, excellent voice acting, and a moody OST that reinforces the oppressive atmosphere, this title stands as one of the strongest immersive sims of its generation. It respects your agency above all else, trusting you to shape your own version of the story through the choices you make and the chaos, or restraint, you leave behind, far more than choosing “guns-blazzing or not?”. And this says a lot about the state of videogames at the time of this release, a standout not just when it comes to it’s genre and the mechanics it is trying to implement.